As well known to those skilled in the art, obesity is caused mainly by the accumulation of neutral fat in such a way that fatty acid and glucose introduced from blood plasma to fat cells are esterified when excessive nutrients are consumed compared to the amount of energy consumption over a long period. Further, when a body mass index (a value obtained by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters squared) is the reference value (25) or more, it is viewed as being at the level of obesity.
Since it is known that obesity is the source of many illnesses, various dieting methods in various shapes have captured the attention of society. However, in case of severe obesity, a surgical procedure and a treatment method using a high density laser are used, and a technology for treating obesity using cooling is also used.
A technology for treating obesity using cooling in the related art is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1039758 entitled “CRYOPROTECTANT FOR USE WITH A TREATMENT DEVICE FOR IMPROVED COOLING OF SUBCUTANEOUS LIPID-RICH CELLS” and Korean Patent No. 10-1248799 entitled “CRYOPROTECTANT FOR USE WITH A TREATMENT DEVICE FOR IMPROVED COOLING OF SUBCUTANEOUS LIPID-RICH CELLS”.
However, in the registered patent documents described above, as shown in FIG. 1, a coupling device or an absorption pad to provide an anti-freezing agent between a part to be treated and a heat exchange factor is required, and thus treatment expense is increased due to the increased number of parts. Further, when sucked, the gel-type anti-freezing agent is gathered at the part to be treated, and the periphery of the absorption pad is dried, thereby decreasing a suction force. Referring to FIG. 1, the coupling device 20 is located between the part to be treated 10 and the heat exchange factor 30. Further, in the coupling device 20, a middle portion made of a net or a foam material is provided between a bottom surface portion 23 having a hole 23a and a top surface portion 21, and thus, the anti-freezing agent is introduced from a supply device 25 via a pipe 24.
Furthermore, in a device for treating obesity using cooling according to the related art, a handpiece for sucking and cooling the part to be treated is used, and a suction cup 40 for sucking the part to be treated of a patient is mounted on the handpiece. According to the related art, as shown in FIG. 2, metallic cooling plates 52 of the suction cup 40 are exposed to a suction space 42, thereby making direct contact with the part to be treated 10. Thus, the anti-freezing agent or the coupling device is necessarily required. Further, according to the related art, since the amount of a patient's sucked skin is determined depending on the size of the suction cup 40, various sized suction cups are prepared, and the suction cups are replaced depending on the extent of obesity of a patient, which is inconvenient. Referring to FIG. 2, the suction cup 40 according to the related art has holes on opposite sides thereof, and a pair of cooling devices 50 including the metallic cooling plates 52, the thermoelectric element 54, and a cooler 56 are mounted on the holes, respectively. Thus, the metallic cooling plates 52 make direct contact with the part to be treated 10.